It's me by the wagon, on an adventure.
I'm here!
A replica cabin built on the approximate site of the actual cabin based on foundational findings. Much research went in to this site, yet it is still sparse. I don't think they knew the actual location until the 1970s, over a hundred years later.
Here are my diary notes from 8/10/24:
I was going to skate in the morning but the reality is I had to do the Air B'n'B tidy-up, pack, and get to Springfield, which is 45 minutes away. Besides, I had to take a shower in the wash tub!
Must locate coffee or tea at Panera. It's a three-hour drive to Independence, left shortly after 9 a.m.
The well that gave Pa and Mr. Scott fits.
In my husband's words: "Ooo, a placard!"
Noon - arrived in Independence at the site! It's cute, but there's not much here that is authentic outside of Pa's well. Given how much time lapsed between the time they lived there and when they actually found the site, this is not surprising. Blame it on Pa's trouble with distance, saying Independence was 40 miles away when it was only 14.
They did their best.
Dr. Tann, Medicine Man
Early days of modern medicine
What is here is the cabin, barn, and garden in the approximate site, an old post office and schoolhouse from the former Wayside village, and a farmhouse that serves as the gift shop. The schoolhouse is not that interesting to me, as none of the Ingalls girls went there; however, there was a nice display honoring Dr. Tann and information on the early days of modern medicine.
Had my LHOTP lunch of a chicken leg left over from Lamberts, bread, and molasses.
I'm reading a bit of the Tennessee Wildcat, going shopping in the store, attempting to find the graves (edit: I did not), heading to the Oklahoma border, and checking into my hotel. If nothing is going on in town, I'm going to catch up on sleep so I can head to KC in the morning.
Another example of a frankenwagon as described last year from my Walnut Grove visit.
Kind of excited to be here.
How tiny for a family of five.
The cabin was built faithfully to the descriptions in LHOTP.
It seems every site has its version of a china shepherdess, another great unknown in the series.
Barn quilt, a faithful rendering of Laura's dove in the window wedding quilt.
Diagnosis: suspicious.
Laura has inspired legions of superfan authors over the years, and as such, they uncover surprising truths. I took not one, but two online Laura Ingalls classes from Missouri State University to do a deeper dive - yes, I have college credits in Laura Lore! A University of Michigan internist spoke up during rotations regarding the symptoms of scarlet fever and was told she was wrong did retroactive research into Mary's diagnosis to discover she was actually infected with
viral meningoencephalitis. There's even a meteorologist who researched
The Long Winter to see if Laura was exaggerating or if the weather was really that bad - turns out, it was.
The kind of deep dive only a LauraFan can do.
Our love for Little House means finding out who the real Mr. Edwards was.
Except there is no real Mr. Edwards.
So who was the Tennessee Wildcat? No one really knows. Author Robynne Miller took a deep dive into Laura's notes, census data, and land records to see if she could sift through the archives and find him. This is a fascinating read, and it was awesome to read the book, next to Pa's well, as Miller combed Montgomery County to find him.
Answer? given Laura's young age - she was only three at the time - and the family stories she was remembering, the most likely answer is Mr. Edwards the character is a composite of kind, fiery, friendly neighbors from nearby homesteads, including Edmund Mason, Charles Thompson, Fred Brown, and possibly more.
In loving memory of Mr. Edwards, whoever you are, and your Christmas kindness.
Run for the OK border!
I didn't put 2 + 2 together and add Oklahoma City to the trip to see Andre play. Added to missed opportunities, my old pen pal Nancy lives in OKC, and she saw I was nearby and told me next time I'm in OK to look her up. Aw!
One last look at the Ingalls' Independence homestead.
Pa's fields 154 years later and wondering what could have had he been allowed to stay. Would the farm have flourished? Did the mid 70s grasshopper swarm that affected them in Minnesota reach as far south as Kansas? What of young Freddie - would he have survived? Given better access to nutrition and Dr. Tann, would Mary have contracted the spinal sickness that robbed her of her sight? And what about Carrie, who suffered malnutrition during the long winter?
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